Longtime Medina village clerk retires

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2013 at 12:00 am

Crowley served 35 years ‘with integrity and honor’

Photo by Tom Rivers – Peggy Crowley, the retiring Medina village clerk/treasurer, was given a framed copy of a New York Times article celebrating Derek Jeter’s 3,000 hit. Crowley, a big Yankees fan, was honored during the March 25 Village Board meeting.

MEDINA – Village Board members and mayors come and go, but Peggy Crowley proved to be a constant in Medina’s village government the past 35 years.

Crowley worked as deputy village clerk for two years before being promoted clerk-treasurer. She was in that role for 33 years, until March 28, her last day in the village clerk’s office.

Her long-time deputy, Debbie Padoleski, will become the new clerk/treasurer.

“She’s definitely all about the village of Medina,” Padoleski said. “She’s a down-the-road thinker who has the ability to see the big picture.”

Crowley has long been the face of Medina, working closely with residents, village department heads and board members.

“She’s always been the power behind the mayors,” said Marcia Tuohey, a former Medina mayor. “She was dedicated.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Medina Mayor Andrew Meier congratulates Peggy Crowley, second from right, on her retirement after 35 years of service in the village clerk’s office. Past mayors, Howard Lake and Marcia Tuohey, attended the March 25 meeting to help honor Crowley.

Howard Lake, another former mayor, praised Crowley for her commitment and competence in the job, especially when the village took on administration of the Pass-Through Project, the reconstruction of Main Street about a decade ago. Crowley took on added and complicated duties, negotiating with the state and federal governments, and contractors on the project. She kept track of the paperwork on the project, and insisted the village receive the proper reimbursements.

“She was fantastic,” Lake said about Crowley’s role with the ambitious public works project. “The village of Medina has some great people that work for them.”

Lake and Tuohey were on hand at the March 25 Village Board meeting, Crowley’s final session as clerk before she retired later in the week. She received a standing ovation from village employees and residents at the meeting.

“Every employee, past and present, owe you a debt of gratitude,” said Andrew Meier, the current mayor. “You’ve performed your duties with integrity and honor.”

Meier presented Crowley, a long-time Yankees fan, with a framed copy of a New York Times article on July 10, 2011, highlighting Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit. The framed article included a capsule of dirt from Yankee Stadium. It was taking from the field after Jeter’s milestone game.

There also was a cake with a Yankees theme that was served after the meeting.
Meier said Crowley has a great sense of humor.

“I’m going to miss her wit the most,” he said. “She has been dedicated to her job and the village.”